“It is one of the best prepared Presidencies I have seen in a very long time. Mr. Barroso has also evaluated the Presidency in the same way as I have,” Mr. Schulz said.

Just four days gone and it's all looking good. We shouldn't underestimate the positive impression a successful Presidency will have abroad. Also the positive effects on the Cypriot public and social administration of running an EU Presidency. As well as providing a great platform to present the Republic's cause to the rest of Europe.

...Christofias looks like the elder Statesman in this crowd, never mind that Cyprus in real terms can be called puny, weakened even, in its present state, imagine a Communist, President in Council of Europe; very hopeful because it reeks of Democracy at work.

Cheers!

@OP, aka Gig; ...that would be my choice for a Cypriot National Anthem.

@Hermes; wot? they'll build a statue for him now? (maybe he will run for re-election)......yup, let's hope for the best, he is Cypriot first, he is smart, and he has learned a lot of lessons.

“The final countdown to July 1 has started. It started two weeks ago [when] we [began to] work on Sundays and [now] don’t sleep more than four hours a day,” said Greek Cyprus’ EU ambassador.

It is the first time Greek Cyprus will assume the European Union presidency and in order to prove they are not a “half state” as Turkish state figures have called them, Greek Cypriots seem determined to try to punch above their weight. They have scheduled three times as many technical meetings and foreign ministerial gatherings.

Turkish officials only wish for Greek Cypriots to be successful in their endeavors. They might even pray for it since a situation of the contrary entails a worst case scenario for Turkish diplomats, as some believe that in case of failure Greek Cyprus might attempt to create an artificial crisis to veil its incompetence. An attempt for a gas drilling in the Turkish Cypriot continental shelf is enough to heat the waters in the Mediterranean and strain relations in the Ankara–Brussels line.